Faith in our stories
By Margaret Daley
One of the intricate aspects of an inspirational romance that other romances don’t possess is the faith element. Without it we don’t have an inspirational. For an inspirational it is the third element of importance to me. So how do you integrate it into your story? Make it seem effortless? Not preachy?
The best way to interweave the faith element into the plot of your story is for it to be a natural part of a character’s life. To show a hero or heroine demonstrating his or her faith as they proceed through their day to day activities will strengthen your story. Show your character praying, talking with God, turning to Him in time of need. A hero or heroine living as Jesus wanted us to live is the best testament to His glory and says so much without beating your reader over the head and becoming what some people say is preachy.
There are some stories where the faith element is a part of the conflict, usually when one protagonist is a non believer or someone who has turned away from the Lord and needs guidance back to Him. When dealing with this conflict in a story, you have to be careful not to be too preachy which can turn some readers off. I have a friend whose husband recently suffered a near death experience several times over the course of his illness. She has returned to the Lord, seeing firsthand the power of prayer and faith. My talking about the power of the Lord wasn’t nearly as convincing. Again showing as much as possible rather than telling is so much more powerful in a story. Our actions are the most revealing rather than what we say. The same is true of our characters.
When looking at a scene and trying to determine if it works concerning the faith element look at your life. Is the conversation natural and something someone you know would say when discussing her faith? Are you coming on so strong that you are turning people away rather than toward your way of thinking? We want to minister to our readers, persuade them to the Lord, reaffirm their belief.
For the faith element to work in an inspirational it must be such an intricate part of the story that you can’t take it out and have it work. In other romances we deal with characterization and plot. In an inspirational romance we must also deal with the faith element. As in a secular romance the plot and characterizations are intertwined to form the story. In the inspirational romance we have three elements (plot, characterization and faith) woven into a pattern that hopefully compels the reader to keep reading and to strengthen their own faith in the Lord.
Margaret Daley writes for Steeple Hill Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. You can read excerpts from her latest books at her website at www.margaretdaley.com.
